tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58086752009-11-30T16:25:28.012-06:00PBD - Progressive Blog DigestThis daily blog is composed of clips and links from other progressive blog and news sites, accompanied by my own observations. It documents the failure and decline of the Republican party, the ongoing legacy of the Bush years, and the efforts of the Obama administration to build a new, lasting Democratic coalition.Nick Burbuleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11052188822471256837noreply@blogger.comBlogger1974125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5808675.post-61818082561864990772009-11-30T06:53:00.003-06:002009-11-30T08:15:14.693-06:00HURRY UP AND WAITBrilliant: the GOP feels the momentum for health care reform, and can’t stop it – so their new idea is just to put it on hold until next yearhttp://tpmlivewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/11/lugars-audacious-proposal-delay-health-care-until-next-year-and-focus-on-afghanistan.php?ref=fpbFor all the tough-guy posturing of the Bush/Cheney gang, the fact is that they failed us Nick Burbuleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11052188822471256837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5808675.post-78595072011774228902009-11-29T07:31:00.002-06:002009-11-29T07:34:12.705-06:00DISAPPOINTMENTSWhat might have beenhttp://www.eschatonblog.com/2009/11/there-was-giant-network-of-mobilized.html[Atrios] There Was A Giant Network Of Mobilized IndividualsWho were waiting to continue doing things after the election. They weren't really wanted anymore.The demoralized lefthttp://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/11/covering-your-bases-by-digby-from-new.htmlhttp://Nick Burbuleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11052188822471256837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5808675.post-87413240306235844982009-11-28T06:50:00.004-06:002009-11-28T07:01:24.445-06:00SCARED SHITLESSIt was the anthraxhttp://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/11/27/anthrax-attack-used-to-justify-the-iraq-war/Anthrax Attack Used to Justify the Iraq WarMore: http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2009/11/27/anthrax/index.htmlhttp://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=5368813Cheney Thought He Had Lethal Anthrax DoseScare Prompted Veep to Take Hard Line on Terror Suspects, NewNick Burbuleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11052188822471256837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5808675.post-13236891542296754542009-11-27T06:44:00.003-06:002009-11-27T06:52:36.022-06:00BLACK FRIDAYWhy is the traditional first day of buying gifts for friends, families, and loved ones known as “Black Friday”?http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Friday_%28shopping%29JANUARY 1966 -- "Black Friday" is the name which the Philadelphia Police Department has given to the Friday following Thanksgiving Day. It is not a term of endearment to them. "Black Friday" officially opens the Nick Burbuleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11052188822471256837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5808675.post-5802146096329047132009-11-26T07:15:00.004-06:002009-11-26T08:01:49.015-06:00THANKS, BUT NO THANKSIt looks as if some people are leaving the Obama admin over its detainee and Gitmo policieshttp://news.firedoglake.com/2009/11/25/key-white-house-resignation-signals-fallout-from-disappointing-obama-civil-liberties-record/http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2009/11/25/carter/index.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/25/opinion/25dowd.htmlWe have to accept it: Nick Burbuleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11052188822471256837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5808675.post-45493062793859081132009-11-25T06:28:00.004-06:002009-11-25T06:40:10.255-06:00LOOKING BACKWARDS, LOOKING AHEAD Thanks to Marcy Wheeler, a look back at the destruction of the torture tapes. The time line leaves little doubt about what was going onhttp://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/11/24/the-cia-asked-to-destroy-torture-tapes-on-same-day-they-claimed-they-didnt-torture/November 1, 2005: Dana Priest reveals the use of black sites in Europe. In response, CIA starts movingNick Burbuleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11052188822471256837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5808675.post-87879295814705366172009-11-24T08:13:00.003-06:002009-11-24T08:24:14.709-06:00FACING FACTS34,000 troops to Afghanistan?http://www.mcclatchydc.com/227/story/79380.htmlA new strategy: http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2009/11/tribal-strategy-afghanistanhttp://politics.theatlantic.com/2009/11/the_new_us_ally_in_afghanistan.phpWe’re gonna burn in hell for the deal we’ve made with Blackwaterhttp://www.americablog.com/2009/11/blackwater-allegedly-running-covert-ops.html[JohnNick Burbuleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11052188822471256837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5808675.post-53727121032708865882009-11-23T07:13:00.003-06:002009-11-23T07:30:52.297-06:00WHAT’S AHEADFrom the Sunday showshttp://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/11/ben-nelson-if-bill-isnt-improved-i-wont-vote-to-get-it-off-the-floor.phpBen Nelson: If Bill Isn't Improved, I Won't Vote to Get It Off The FloorAppearing on This Week, Sen. Ben Nelson, made clear that his vote last night to proceed with debate on the health bill was contingent on being able to amend the bill in the next Nick Burbuleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11052188822471256837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5808675.post-78626866103426934372009-11-22T06:37:00.002-06:002009-11-22T06:41:15.632-06:00TWO STEPS FORWARD, ONE STEP BACKThe good news: the Senate health care bill passed a major hurdle, and the principle was perhaps established that conservaDems can vote to block a filibuster while still voting against the bill (though Minority Leader Mitch McConnell tried mightily to equate them). But it was also clear that a couple of key votes probably won’t be there for a strong public option Nick Burbuleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11052188822471256837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5808675.post-6879803573508982352009-11-21T09:17:00.003-06:002009-11-21T09:25:57.353-06:00OVER THE TOPThe PROCEDURAL vote later today on whether to BRING THE HEALTH CARE BILL TO THE FLOOR for amendment and debate is not a vote FOR the bill. Repeat as necessary.What will the “centrists” do? The votes to watchhttp://politicalwire.com/archives/2009/11/20/senators_to_watch.htmlhttp://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/health-care/Nick Burbuleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11052188822471256837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5808675.post-45017948778514511362009-11-20T07:10:00.003-06:002009-11-20T07:21:20.600-06:00HOLY WARMore details on the Senate health care billhttp://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/11/cbpp-despite-insufficient-subsidies-health-care-bill-enormous-step-forward.phphttp://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_11/021055.phphttp://www.slate.com/id/2236147/http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/11/19/806032/-The-2010-HCR-Provisions-in-House-and-SenateNot fully implemented until Nick Burbuleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11052188822471256837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5808675.post-10194879177964870992009-11-19T07:24:00.002-06:002009-11-19T07:31:13.218-06:00SETTLING SCORESThe CBO scoring comes in for the Senate health care bill, and it’s a good news/bad news thinghttp://news.firedoglake.com/2009/11/18/senate-bill-costs-849-billion/[David Dayen] MSNBC is reporting that the CBO has scored the Senate’s merged bill as costing $849 billion dollars over 10 years. The bill would reduce the deficit by $127 billion by 2019 because of the revenue-raisers. Nick Burbuleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11052188822471256837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5808675.post-29685524527754454982009-11-18T06:53:00.003-06:002009-11-18T07:22:27.971-06:00SETTING THE BARThe burden of responsibilityhttp://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_11/021017.php[Steve Benen] The to-do list itself is almost overwhelming. After eight years of Republican failure, incompetence, mismanagement, and corruption, Democratic leaders on both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue were tasked by the electorate to rescue the economy, resolve two costly wars, Nick Burbuleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11052188822471256837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5808675.post-38521585386489331022009-11-17T06:34:00.004-06:002009-11-17T07:14:57.820-06:00TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONSThe GOP has decided that even though many terrorists have already been successfully tried in US courts and safely held in US prisons, the latest group being sent to New York for trial represent an intolerable riskhttp://www.politico.com/news/stories/1109/29488.htmlRepublicans are irate over the move to try Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in New York, perhaps within walking distance Nick Burbuleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11052188822471256837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5808675.post-59904397121419239262009-11-16T06:44:00.004-06:002009-11-16T06:55:04.797-06:00POISONING THE WELLHmmm . . . we’re hearing a lot now that the 9/11 trials could expose national security secrets and founder on a defense built around the fact that key evidence was obtained under torture. Maybe. But turn it around and look at it this way: if these guys are unprosecutable because of the policies and mistreatment they received under the Bush gang – which is what people were sayingNick Burbuleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11052188822471256837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5808675.post-61519266474164862272009-11-15T06:51:00.002-06:002009-11-15T06:54:37.877-06:00DEFICIT THINKINGObama and the deficithttp://news.firedoglake.com/2009/11/13/more-leaks-that-obama-will-turn-deficit-hawk-in-2010/[Politico] President Barack Obama plans to announce in next year’s State of the Union address that he wants to focus extensively on cutting the federal deficit in 2010 – and will downplay other new domestic spending beyond jobs programs, according to top aides involved Nick Burbuleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11052188822471256837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5808675.post-17046909751795543792009-11-14T08:07:00.004-06:002009-11-14T08:57:54.482-06:00PROFILES IN COURAGEThe Obama admin decides to put the 9/11 plotters on trial in New York. Repubs howl that this is endangering the nation, blah blah. And they say that this shows the lack of courage of the Obama admin in dealing with these people in the manner they deserve.To which I ask, What did your hero, George Bush, do when he had them in his custody? and In what way is it braver to leave Nick Burbuleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11052188822471256837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5808675.post-6498389143021027232009-11-13T06:50:00.002-06:002009-11-13T06:52:36.308-06:00PREDATORSYou know, we used to have a policy against assassinations (no, we didn’t honor it in the past either – ask Fidel). But is it different when you use unmanned drones?http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/13/opinion/13iht-edcohen.html[Roger Cohen] As Jane Mayer notes in a groundbreaking recent piece in The New Yorker, “The intelligence agency declines to provide any information to the public aboutNick Burbuleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11052188822471256837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5808675.post-41768218066101588382009-11-12T07:49:00.002-06:002009-11-12T07:54:04.774-06:00SNATCHING DEFEAT FROM THE JAWS OF VICTORY?Because the Dems seem determined to turn a winning issue into a losing one, they keep searching for some alternative, any alternative, to voting for the popular public option. The latest approach: take two bad ideas, triggers and co-ops – neither one of which will work – and combine them. Like chocolate and peanut butter!http://fdlaction.firedoglake.com/Nick Burbuleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11052188822471256837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5808675.post-20942173161229839272009-11-11T04:57:00.002-06:002009-11-11T05:01:45.520-06:00OUR PERICLESA great speechhttp://politicalwire.com/archives/2009/11/10/obamas_best_speech_ever.html[Taegan Goddard] President Obama's speech at Fort Hood may go down as one of his best ever. . . .[Marc Ambinder] I guarantee: they'll be teaching this one in rhetoric classes. It was that good. . . [watch and read]CNN makes a discovery (that everyone else has known for months)http://Nick Burbuleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11052188822471256837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5808675.post-28757897036396987532009-11-10T06:09:00.002-06:002009-11-10T06:14:34.056-06:00STUPIFYINGHow bad is the Stupak amendment?http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/11/9/802519/-What-the-Stupak-Pitts-Coathanger-Amendment-Doeshttp://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/11/goldilocks-was-betrayed-by-digby-all.htmlhttp://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/11/broken-rearview-mirror-by-digby-nancy.htmlhttp://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/11/9/802649/-Whats-Really-Pissing-Me-OffWorse and worse: Nick Burbuleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11052188822471256837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5808675.post-19364367738325010452009-11-09T05:33:00.003-06:002009-11-09T05:45:57.581-06:00WHICH SIDE ARE THEY ON?The Dems who voted against health care reformhttp://blogs.cqpolitics.com/eyeon2010/2009/11/analyzing-the-partybuckers-on.htmlhttp://www.mydd.com/story/2009/11/8/113843/351http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/11/08/us/politics/1108-health-care-vote.htmlMore: http://www.mydd.com/story/2009/11/8/231434/205Which House Democrats Opposed Health Reform, Clean Energy, Tobacco Nick Burbuleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11052188822471256837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5808675.post-70247839259350934932009-11-08T00:11:00.001-06:002009-11-08T00:13:08.886-06:00GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWSGood news: House health care bill passeshttp://firedoglake.com/2009/11/07/h-r-3962-health-care-bill-passes/220-215More: http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/11/house-passes-health-care-bill-220-215.phpA defeat for know-nothingism: http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_11/020862.php[Steve Benen] It's sad, for lack of a better word, that in the midst of theNick Burbuleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11052188822471256837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5808675.post-47251394438774600832009-11-07T01:50:00.002-06:002009-11-07T01:57:51.480-06:00ON TILTThe far right is feeling their power to dictate terms to the rest of the GOP, and they aren’t being shy about ithttp://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/11/6/801358/-DeMint:-Recruiting-moderates-who-can-win-doesnt-make-any-senseDeMint: Recruiting moderates who can win "doesn't make any sense"More: http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/11/gop-could-face-more-challenges-from-right-after-ny-Nick Burbuleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11052188822471256837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5808675.post-31371371202848509512009-11-06T00:52:00.005-06:002009-11-06T01:05:57.533-06:00RUNNING SCAREDSo, here is the political state of the GOP. Having identified Obama’s policies as the work of Maoists. . . err. . .Nazis . . .err. . . Stalinists, well you know BAD GUYS, the new Foxified GOP has whipped up wild irrational fear of the Democrats' agenda. Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh and Michele Bachmann are defining the issues of the moment.For serious Republican politicians, if Nick Burbuleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11052188822471256837noreply@blogger.com